Field Trips is a series of stories that highlight schools and districts that have implemented new strategies to improve student outcomes, developed exemplary practices and validated their results through data and other verifiable demonstrations of student performance.

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CDE Field Trips - 12/9/24 - First class graduates from Colorado Excel Center

Posted 12/09/2024 - 2:31pm

A woman in a blue cap and gown smiles and hugs another woman.

A woman and a man smile while standing at a podium.

A woman in a blue cap and gown moves her tassel to the left side of the cap.

A woman in a blue cap smiles while holding notes at a podium.

Five adult students were the first students to graduate from the Colorado Excel Center in Aurora – a free adult high school that opened in August – in an emotional commencement ceremony on Dec. 5.

The graduates spoke about the challenges that prevented them from graduating earlier, such as teen motherhood, the difficulty of returning to school as adults, and the support they found at the Excel Center. Each recognized the support of their family members in the audience of about 60 people.

In her keynote speech, English Language Arts Instructor Dr. Lizzie Louis quoted the writer bell hooks: “I believe in education as the practice of freedom.”

Each graduate earned a micro-credential alongside their diploma. Goodwill of Colorado’s Micro-Credentials program, funded by The Dakota Foundation, provides free training to financially disadvantaged individuals in Colorado Springs and the Denver metro area.

The program addresses workforce gaps by offering flexible, affordable training, industry credentials, job placement, and long-term career development. Professional certifications include retail work, construction flagging, hospitality staff, caregiving and forklift operating. The goal is to help participants secure entry-level roles with growth potential toward a living wage.

More than 300,000 Coloradans over the age of 25 do not have high school diplomas, limiting their earning potential. Goodwill operates 41 adult high schools in nine states. The Colorado Excel Center is the state's first in-person adult high school. The school offers free child care, transportation, career counseling, and job placement assistance.

The next Excel Center commencement will be in June 2025.

See more photos on Flickr.

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